Tips on moving to Linux?

[desiv]

No. Everything needs to be on the host. Only CD drives etc. can be added separate.

Actually, kind of..  If you use XEN as your hypervisor (VM)
http://wiki.xen.org/wiki/Xen_PCI_Passthrough

But it's (actually, all of XEN) for the pretty advanced admin.  Not an end user friendly option.  ;-)

desiv

[desiv]

Just wiped my XP machine and went MINT.
So far so good.
it's my laptop and mostly i just use it for web browsing.
The install recognized my video, wifi, sound and media buttons on my laptop.
No major complaints so far and much easier install than some in the past..

The initial issue I have (not major) so far is Netflix.
I knew there wasn't a Netflix for Linux yet, so I wasn't worried.

I did install Netflix Desktop, which is a WINE based install with Netflix running in a Windows Firefox instance with Silverlight.
That does seem to work for me..

Only drawback to that is that I have a Chromecast, and that requires Chrome, not Firefox.  Apparently there are issues with that still..
Not a killer.  I have the Wii and smartphone for sending Netflix to the TV.  But I wish Netflix would just release a Linux version.  ;-)

Haven't tried any games or anything yet, but not much of a gamer.  This is an older laptop anyway.
I could run Win 7 on it.  Still an option, but I'm familiar with Linux so decided to give it a shot first.
(Nothing against the other OSes.  Use LOTS of Windows ( 7 on the desktops with some straggling XP VMs and lots of different versions on the server side) at work.  Wife is pretty happy with her Win 7 netbook.  I REALLY liked XP too..  So nothing against Windows.  Just trying Linux on this guy.  I like lots of OSes..)

desiv

[desiv]

Have you installed Chrome?

Oh yeah.
I have Chrome and that works and the Chromecast plugin.
I can send youtube or whatever to my Chromecast from my MINT box.

I just can't send Netflix, as Netflix doesn't run in Chrome (or any native browser) on Linux.
There is a way to get the Windows version of Firefox to work and I've done that, but that version doesn't support the Chromecast from Netflix.
The Windows version of Chrome does, but I haven't seen anyone that has the Windows version of Chrome running with the Chromecast extension and Netflix.
Most people seem to just run a VM for that, but I'm trying to go without a VM.

Well, I just got Netflix running in my Linux native Chrome browser using Pipelight, which is nice..But still no Chromecast option in Netflix.  I'm guessing the pipelight extension doesn't talk to the native Chromecast extension.  Still, closer..  ;-)


 desiv

[desiv]

Haven't tried this..

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/easily-enable-silverlight-watch-netflix-linux/

Yep, that's what I did to get Netflix working in native Chrome on my Linux MINT box.
That works...   As does Netflix Player, which is basically Windows Firefox in WINE.
So, I have 2 methods of watching Netflix on Linux.

But neither of those support sending Netflix to the Chromecast.
Not a biggie, but something that worked in XP.

Just found another minor issue, but fixed (kind of) it.

My SD card reader (built in) wasn't working..
Turns out, the reader in the DELL is PCI based and supports SD AND XD.
Apparently those drivers don't like each other..
So I had to blacklist the XD driver, and now the SD cards work great.  As I don't have any XD cards, its not a loss to me.

I could modprobe -r the SD driver and modprobe the XD driver if I wanted XD.  That would work, but not quite as simple as Windows.  Still no big deal tho..

So far, so good..

desiv
(Just backed up my Raspberry Pi SD card using DD )   :-)

[desiv]

Yep,
I did that.

Netflix works.

It's just chromecast from Netflix that doesn't.
And chromecast from Chrome browser works, but not with Netflix.

desiv

[desiv]

Did you try the Google Cast (not Chromecast) extension in Chrome?

I'm note sure what that is...
I have the extension from Google to allow me to cast video from my Linux Chrome Browser to my Chromecast.
i use that for sending Youtube videos to my Chromecast from Chrome and that works fine.
But in that same browser instance, if I use the Pipelight installed version of Netflix, I can see the video on the screen, but don't have the option to send to the Chromecast.
From what I can tell, it might be because I have to use a UserAgent Switcher to tell Netflix that I am using something Firefox, because if I leave it at Chrome Netflix checks the agent and says not compatible.
There are some people that think that might be the issue.
Unfortunately, the Switcher I have doesn't let me set one manually (at least not from it's menu) so I can't try a Chrome on Windows User Agent.

I'll poke around with that..

desiv

[desiv]

But I don't know which "cute name version" I should choose for Lubuntu.

Think of the Lubuntu part as the "Windows" part of a description of your OS.
If you need to download something for your Windows machine, just knowing it's Windows might not be enough.  You might need to know which version of Windows.
98, XP, 7, 8, etc...
Those cute names relate to major releases that you can think of as Windows versions.
So, the answer is going to depend on which version of Lubuntu you have.
I'm a command line guy, so I'd probably do a:

cat /etc/lsb-release
or
lsb_release -a

Those should tell you the cute name for your Lubuntu...
Here's a great reference chart too:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DevelopmentCodeNames

One thing I liked about windows is you could download the whole executable installer and keep it in your own archive in case you needed to re-install that particular version in future.

Those should generally be cached in:

/var/cache/apt/archives

..so you can look there after you install it.  Unless something has cleared the apt cache..

desiv

[desiv]

You don't need to install any of them. They all just scan for Windows malware, they're intended for people running stuff like mail servers..

Although, if he's dual booting, he could mount his Windows partition and scan it using those tools, for a decent offline scan of that OS..
Not sure I'd go to the trouble, but it's probably a bit easier than a boot CD/thumb drive to scan his Windows OS offline.

desiv

[desiv]

So someone could give you a command that erases your entire drive?

Yep,
pretty standard for any OS really.
That's why separation between your user and you your admin level rights on the box is so important.

That RM command would still be painful, but not nearly as painful if you aren't root. (or run it with sudo, which generally asks for a password)

desiv
Admin:  Make me a sandwich.
User:  No, make it yourself.
Admin: sudo Make me a sandwich.
User:  OK.

[desiv]

For God's sake, why isn't there an app for this that doesn't require the use of a terminal?

Assumptions much?
Who said there isn't an app for this that doesn't require the use of a terminal?

Of course there is, or are..
There are lots..
Ubuntu and Mint (and other variants) almost always come with System Monitor, ether enabled or easy to enable (left click on the taskbar and add the applet).

Select the "Processes" tab.  Select the process and end it.

Although there are lots of fun command line options also.
One of my favorites was always xkill.
Type that into a terminal (or you could put an icon on your desktop for it if you want, but it's not needed very often, so I don't bother).
Then your cursor becomes and X and you can kill any process (window) by clicking on it..  Great fun!!  :-)

desiv

[desiv]

Mint, the main editions, it's self is based directly off Ubuntu and follows roughly a month after each Ubuntu update. That is not a rolling release model. Ubuntu is not a rolling release.

It's kind of interesting that Mint was mentioned here, considering the disagreement between an Ubuntu dev and Mint about stability.
Mint has chosen not to automatically update the kernel (and a few other things) with the regular updates.  In their mind, they see some possible stability issues.
But some people feel that the possible security implications outweigh the stability issue.

Of course, we have the same type of things with our Windows server updates.
Our hosting provider updates once a month, and not every week.  Some people in business love that.  Some people in I.T. (I'm looking at you "Security"!) aren't so sure...

It's not an OS specific issue, it's just the biz..

desiv
(I installed Mint a bit ago on my old XP laptop.  Haven't decided if I'm going to enable the kernel+ auto updates yet or not..  Kind of waiting to see..  I might agree with Mint on this one, but not sure yet..)

[desiv]

Not once have I gone into a command line, nor have I messed with a single damn config thing.

Uh oh.   I can't hep myself.... :griping:


Man, what is the fear of command line and config files in this world.. ;-)

And I'm not talking Linux..
I was just on an interview panel for a Windows "server tech" and most of the applicants seemed afraid of Powershell.
(I love Powershell!!)

Don't get me wrong, GUIs are great.  
One of my favorite parts of the Amiga was the GUI.

But if I can do something faster and more efficiently with text, why wouldn't I want to do that?

When I want to send a quick message to someone, I don't call them or skype them.  I TEXT them..
Sometimes, even today, text is still better!!!


:lol::lol::lol::lol:

desiv

[desiv]

It's not cost effective for an OEM to ship Linux. It limits their hardware selection for a start.

Assuming an OEM had to decide to ship Linux on all their motherboards and be compatible with all their products, that might be the case.

But that isn't the case..

It's all about sales and marketing.
If Dell could sell a consumer laptop with Linux on it, but Linux wasn't compatible with their corporate laptop chipset, AND that consumer laptop with Linux sold really well, Dell wouldn't care.  They'd sell it if it sold well.
If it wasn't compatible with all their laser printers, but the laptop still sold well, they'd still sell it.  After all, it's about selling product.

The issue with Linux on OEM machines is simply that they haven't sold well enough.

I think a lot of that is because it has been kind of advertised as a Windows replacement, but it's not.  It's its own OS with its own benefits and drawbacks.

At work, people were psyched when we started to provide iPads for calendar/e-mail and notes.  And then people started getting them and some of them were disappointed.  The iPads didn't run all of their macros in their Excel docs.  They didn't connect (or connect well) to the iSeries...
Fact is, the iPad is great for what it is, but those people wanted a Windows compatible device too.  That project was still a success tho, because the people who were happy were the people who mostly needed e-mail/calendar and notes (i.e. managers, administrators and their assistants).  ;-)

If you want/need Windows, you won't be happy with Linux.
If you want/need a device that can do what Linux can do, you can be happy with it.
Good news is that Linux does a lot that people need and works on a lot of hardware really well.  (Typing this on a DELL XPS M1210)
But it doesn't do everything, and some people just want Windows.
That's OK..

As the market goes more web based, it gets more and more open for Linux (and OSX). And choice is good for everyone.
Heck, Windows Server 2012 has several new features that I think were inspired by the Linux server competition.  I think that's great.  2012 is much better as a result of Linux.  (IMHO)  ;-)

desiv

[desiv]

Remember netbooks?  There was a year or two when they were very popular and then they  vanished from the market. .

I always thought that was some of the weirdest marketing around..
There were just small laptops...  

We still have 2 of them, one newer Acer (They still sell them and still sometimes call them Netbooks) and an older Dell Mini 9.

Ironically, even tho I'm a Linux fan, they are both Windows machines..  ;-)
My wife likes the form factor of the "Netbooks", but her photo stuff is mostly Windows.

I do have Linux on the Mini-9 now that she's using the Acer, but I stole the memory from it it for my laptop, so it's waiting for an e-bay order to get back into the running.  ;-)

desiv

[desiv]

They have to spend money to check whether Linux will run on each machine, even if it turns out that they can't.

Depending on the support contract, that might or might not be a big deal.  It's also possible they have a large customer who has requested that, so they already have a process.

Adding another operating system option will cost money in production, ordering etc. All to support an operating system that they then can't charge you money for, as if they charge the same price then people would likely order it with Windows just in case they ever need it and then install Linux themselves.

Who said anything about supporting an OS they can't charge money for?  Of course they are going to charge money for it..
Free to them doesn't mean free to the consumer..  ;-)  Of course support costs need to be built in.
Also, adding anything will cost money.  
That means nothing.  It's all about ROI.  If it costs money, but they make more money selling it, they'll do it..
If it costs money, and they don't make money selling it, they won't.
 
It costs them money everytime MS releases a new version of the OS.  Doesn't mean they won't support it...

If/when it appeals to customers, then they will support it, regardless of the "cost" to them.  That is just the cost of doing business..